Saturday

Wow, Daphne is a month old already! Our little monkey keeps us constantly busy and thoroughly entertained. (MILESTONE ALERT) Her umbilical cord fell off yesterday, so today she gets her first real, big girl bath! No more little sponge baths and partial cleanings.

Daphne's first real bath!

Hopefully, after her bath, she will be in the mood to pose for more pictures. We still have not found the perfect photo for her birth announcement. She may be driving a car and dating before we know it...

After a long day of shopping, chillin' in front of the tube...

This weekend should be nice and relaxing -- lots of naps and lounging around the house. I really need to mow the yard, but luckily it rained last night.

Wednesday

Today, Daphne weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds, 8 ounces during a routine doctor visit. While she is perfectly healthy (no reflux, etc), the doctor applied some silver nitrate to Daphne's belly button to assist with the umbilical cord's removal.

We are still trying to round up some artistic snapshots to send out birth announcements. Jennie took a bunch of photos this morning and here are a few of the better ones:

Sunday

Last night we had a feast with Jennie's parents, my Mom, and Bill. Unfortunately, Daphne cried for several hours after dinner. She has a strong set of lungs, determined to voice her discomfort to one and all.

Today, Daphne has been a little angel -- sleeping, playing, cooing. I hope her gas, reflux, colic, or whatever ails her is not active tonight! We are anxious for a good night's sleep.

Maggie (our ten year old Cairn Terrier) caught a bird today and injured it beyond the point of return. I felt horrible tossing it (with gloved hand) over our fence into an overgrown easement, but the stray, feral cats will now have some easy prey. Wagging her tail the entire time, Maggie had to believe she was merely playing with a toy.

Friday

Daphne is 3 weeks old today. Each day brings new surprises and adventures in parenting.

Last night was filled with hours of inconsolable screaming and crying! Only three nights have been this bad since we got home from the hospital on March 4. How many weeks does this fussy, gassy behavior last?

Oh well, I need to go and get the house ready for my Mom's arrival. She and Bill are spending the weekend with us.

Thursday

Jennie had a routine doctor visit this afternoon. The good doc inspected Jennie's battlescar or as Jennie refers to it, "the C-section war wound". Thankfully, the indolent incision has nearly healed completely. She is still several weeks away from being able to lift heavy objects or push a vacuum cleaner, etc.

When Daphne was first born, her eyes were mostly navy-to-dark brown with the faintest blue sliver around the edges. Today, as I was rocking my baby in my lap, I noticed her eye color appears to be morphing to a lighter blue. Daphne reached up and grabbed my butt chin this evening with a tiny gripping hand.

Nights seem more manageable these days. Daphne is now equally as fussy in the afternoon as she wails during the night. When will all of this baby gas pain go away? I really feel sorry for her bowels...

Wednesday

Yesterday marked a milestone for the Tilson clan. Jennie and I spent the evening away from home and attended a hockey game. It felt odd being apart from baby Daphne. At one point, Jennie insisted, "Maybe I should call home and find out how she is doing." I assured Jennie that her parents would call my cell phone if Daphne decided to cry uncontrollably or became a super poop monster.

Jennie's Mom spent the night with us last night and assisted Jennie in late night Daphne care (feeding, diaper duty, etc). I absolutely cherish being able to sleep an entire night without any interruption! I feel completely and utterly well rested today.

Happy Birthday to Jennie's Mom. Please don't tell anyone that she has 62 candles on her cake! It's a secret.

Birthday time for Jennie's Mom

I promise to post some new photos before this weekend. Well, I need to go warm up some leftovers for Jennie...

Wednesday

As I cooked dinner Monday evening, a distant metallic scraping sound filled the air. The annoying noise seemed to be coming from outside. The sound magnified intensely from the side of our house as I opened the back door. I crossed my fingers, grabbed a flashlight, and investigated the situation as my fears were met. Weathered and tattered, our heat pump's fan finally snapped off of the motor housing. I called the HVAC repair company and they instructed us to switch our system over to Emergency Heat for the evening. Great, I thought.

We slipped on extra clothing and turned the thermostat way down.

Luckily, Tuesday morning the unit was repaired with a new fan. And, our house has reliable heat once again. Below are some photos of Daphne bundled up to avoid the cold chill...

Monday

Today was my first day back to work since Daphne's birth. My metamorphosis into parenthood has affected my sleeping patterns and established a paradigm shift on my priorities (i.e., Nintendo and Hockey get downgraded a notch below playing with Daphne). Honestly, I still feel the same. I am not sure that I expected papa-tude to feel different. But now, my primary task is raising my child the best way I know how. Batteries not included.

Over the past week, two co-workers of mine have passed away (one from the flu last week, and the other from Diabetes today). It is somber and surreal to start losing acquaintances to death. Somehow, it makes you feel old and helpless.

Daphne was in rare form last night! Oh brother, she would not stop crying no matter how much we consoled her, burped her, rocked her, etc. So, Daddy Davey drove to the local 24-hour Kroger and purchased some Mylicon drops at 3am. The Gripe Water I raved about a few days ago did not seem to work well enough. I am still not convinced she has colic. Perhaps she has her days and nights mixed up, I cannot say. But, I definitely believe it relates to Jennie's C-Section medication (amoxicillin et al).

I pray tonight will be more restful. Its difficult for me to work productively while chugging coffee and splashing cold water on my face hourly. The bright spot on the horizon: Daphne should sleep through the night in a couple of weeks. Yay.

Saturday

Eight day old Daphne is keeping us busy! Jennie is sending me out to Wal-Greens to buy some Mylicon drops (to help with fussy, gassy baby).

I tried to write a blog entry last night several times, but the crying baby took priority.

Jennie and I are tired, but managing to keep it all together...

Maybe I can upload some photos tonight?

EVENING UPDATE: 7:36pm CST I just realized that tonight is Daylight Savings Time at 2am. Don't forget to set your clock 1 hour ahead.

This afternoon I bought some organic Gripe Water (and it really seems to be helping with Daphne's fussy behavior). She is sleeping like a champ now! Amazingly enough, we were able to take two naps today.

I did snap several cute photos today and maybe I will sort through them tomorrow while Jennie works on the numerous "Thank You" notes to be sent out.

Thursday

Evening Update: Here are some photos as promised. Exhaustion has officially set in. Jennie and I are trying to nap whenever Daphne is zonked out, but the alarm clock seems to always buzz when we enter deep sleep. Breastfeeding every 3 hours is challenging!

Photos coming today. Most likely in the late afternoon to evening -- it depends on if I get out to Target while Jennie rests, etc. I am trying to get my car in the shop today as well. Having one car functional is tough.

Yesterday we had two separate doctor appointments plus I went to the pharmacy and grocery store twice. We were "away from home" more than we were home, it seemed. Jennie's edema is pouring from a several inch incision in her belly. Her stomach was stapled, but a three inch portion of the sixteen inch slice is leaking fluid. I am having to scrub up, create a sterile environment, and cautiously pack her full of wicked cotton twice per day. I feel like Doctor Davey! No fainting allowed.

Jennie and I are absolutely exhausted! Breastfeeding our little pumpkin every 2 1/2 to 3 hours requires creativity (especially when you have to sneak a boob to baby during a chore).

Today *should* be our first day of rest at home since we arrived back from the hospital. We are getting about three to four hours of sleep per night at the moment. Yay.

I would not trade parenthood for anything in the world, but I want Jennie's C-section wounds to heal up timely and properly. And, Daphne has been terrific as well.

Today, I will take more photos and sort through the ones I have taken over the past few days as well.

Tuesday

Jennie, Daphne, and I were discharged from the hospital today around 1pm. I nervously drove home in the slow lane and kept my speed about 10 MPH under the speed limit on the interstate. Now that I am a Daddy, I must keep her safe!

Knowing that we had very limited groceries in our house, Jennie requested we stop by the Arby's drive thru for some nutritious food.

Tonight will be the first night Daphne sleeps at home. I know we will be constantly watching her to make sure she is doing fine.

Sunday

Jennie and I are enjoying the surprises of parenthood with each passing day. I know the crying at 3am, the endless surge of dirty diapers, and sleepless nights of exhaustion are only just beginning. I probably cannot even fathom how tired I will be over the next few months, but I would not trade it for anything in the world!

Yesterday morning, I silently cried (tears of joy) for half an hour on my rock hard hospital room couch while thinking about my little daffodil's future. We have been truly blessed to be given the opportunity to raise her. She will always be my little angel who cannot do any wrong.